Rockford police shooting ruled justified

A grand jury ruled Wednesday that the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by two white police officers at a daycare facility filled with children was justified, an official said.

The Aug. 24 killing of 23-year-old Mark Anthony Barmore at the church-run facility in Rockford triggered protests and widened the racial divide in Illinois' second-largest city.

Winnebago County State's Attorney Joe Bruscato said late Wednesday that a grand jury ruled earlier that day that the shooting of Barmore was justified, and said he agreed with that assessment.

Illinois State Police came to a similar conclusion in their investigation.

Norma Joseph, president of the Rockford Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said she was appalled by Wednesday's ruling.

"The NAACP is shocked and outraged by the Illinois State Police finding that the Rockford Police acted properly in shooting and killing Mark Barmore, who was unarmed," Joseph said in a statement.

Officers shot and killed Barmore inside the daycare at Kingdom Authority International Ministries Church after a struggle over a gun. Witnesses, including children, said Barmore had surrendered.

In the weeks following the shooting, thousands attended rallies -- some protesting that the shooting had been racially charged, others to support the police officers who were put on paid administrative leave -- and U.S. Department of Justice mediators were dispatched to the city about 90 miles northwest of Chicago to ease the unrest.

"We are seeking accountability for the law enforcement officers' actions," said attorney Don Jackson, president of the Illinois State NAACP. "In only five years of service, one of the officers has been involved in four shootings, two of which resulted in fatalities."